A blog dealing with either the joy of cinema or the agony of cinema--nothing in between.

Friday, June 22, 2012

The Intouchables

A quadriplegic blueblood is interviewing for a personal assistant when an impoverished, charming, and unorthodox Senegalese immigrant bursts into the room, tired of waiting to get his benefit check signed, and is immediately given the job, at which point the two become immediate friends. The worst thing "The Intouchables" has going for it, aside from its title, is its "poor black man helps rich crippled white man" plot line. Instead of the cloying, grating film most would expect with such material, we are given two warm, funny, and flawed characters who earn the movie's sentiment and are the reason this film has won such international acclaim. Francois Cluzet and especially Omar Sy are excellent in two vastly disparate and extremely challenging roles. I felt this film worked better as an escapist buddy picture than it did as social commentary, but is still successful thanks to the naturally sympathetic performances of its leads.